The Gentle Act of Comfort

There are many people who are suffering, for many reasons, and feeling alone, misunderstood and fearful. There are also many people who are in their lives who do not know how to respond to this pain. They don't know what to do or how to act around this suffering and loss. And so this energy of awkwardness, emptiness, anxiousness and misunderstanding grows.

We don't like to see the ones we love and care for struggle. It causes us distress and discomfort. Often times this makes us feel like we need to DO something to help ease their pain. It also gives us something to focus on instead of being in our own pain and discomfort. But this is not always the needed action. To simply be present with someone who is in pain and allow them to just BE is often the most important thing we can do and a very powerful gift to be able to offer.

Try to remember a time when you were hurting. There really wasn't much anyone could do, the situation existed and you had to live through the loss, the hurt, the disappointment and learn how to move on. The reality is all you really wanted was for someone to offer some compassion, to give you a hug, to hold your hand, to be gentle with you as you tried to move through the hurt, the suffering and find some clarity on what was next. Remember how it felt when that was offered to you. Remember the ease it brought to your heart and mind. Remember how you felt honored and witnessed. Remember how grateful you were for the space of kindness and compassion.

Solace is a tremendous and necessary gift that when offered genuinely and with grace is valued beyond measure. To be able to be with someone who is suffering, sit with their pain and bring your time, your heart, your soul presence is a beautiful offering that holds tremendous healing energies.

We are a fix-it society. But often, when there is pain and loss, the best way to bring peace to the wound is to offer it time, gentleness, rest from the struggle and compassion, tender compassion, to the wounded soul. It keeps that place in time simple and uncomplicated. It keeps the energies quiet and pure. It keeps the heart open and the flow gentle. Bringing this to the life of a friend or loved one who is hurting is a very special gift you can offer; a heart to soul healing love.

Blessings, Lisa

Loss of Land Brings on Flood

Life has its disappointments. People let you down, circumstances do not lead you to your hopes and dreams, other's make choices that don't align with yours and so on. How do you roll with the energies that rise up from this place of loss? The way in which you respond can either help you find your way through or find you in a undertow that will cause you tremendous struggle. In a recent loss of a hoped for land to build our homestead on, I found myself in a flood of feelings to swim through.

While I try to live a life without expectations, it is not always easy. Our passions and our dreams often bring us to a place in life where we are filled with anticipation. All is well, if the next sequence of events unfolds in the way or at least somewhat like what you hoped for. But when they don't we find ourselves feeling a bit lost, maybe feeling a little empty or sad and trying to figure out what is next.

When this happens, I try to give myself time for pause. I need to be present with my feelings, rather than stuff them or ignore them. In the past, when I would do this, they would only surface once again, a bit later, often during a very inconvenient time, bringing with them a fury of energies that was disproportionate to what they originally were. Quite a mess to mop up. Eventually, I figured out I could save myself a good deal of clean up if I would just give them room right at the beginning of their bubbling forth.

Sitting in this place of pause I can grieve if I need to. I can also allow the disappointment to rise up and then release it. I don't hold onto it begrudgingly. I don't fester over it. And with time, I can look beyond. That is the beauty of feelings, they come and go, if we allow them to.

I picture myself riding the waves, rising and falling, sinking and surfacing, but always able to walk out of the waters of emotions. They are an important part of who I am, but they do not define me or control me.

Each time I can do this, I find a new depth has been reached within. I find a better understanding of who I am, why I do what I do, how I can evolve and where I am stretched. What a tremendous gift! Life brings us to these places for a reason. We may not always know why, but surely it serves us to be fuller, more aware, and closer to our truth.

So when disappointment washes over you, do not run and hide. Allow the shower to wash over you. Seek cover to wait it out. Pause and be. Feel and release. Open your heart and soul to the truth as it unfolds and embrace the gifts to be found there.

Blessings, Lisa

Exactly Where You Need To Be

They say timing is everything. When it is time for a person to fulfill their life's purpose, a life task or to be a part of someone's life during a particular challenge or event it happens in its own time, without our forcing it or delaying it. Our personal timetable has little to nothing to do with it. We live in a time that thrives on day planners, calendars and agendas. We look to our clocks to determine when to eat, sleep, work or play. We have stopped listening to our internal messages and have lost touch with our own inner knowing of when the time is right for any of these.

This does not always serve us well. Our best of made plans will fail us, or we will find ourselves challenged by a life event we do not think we are well prepared for. But if we can find a place within us to look inward to, to stop relying on outside influences to tell us that it is time, we may recognize that all happens in its right time. We discover we are exactly where we need to be in the moment for a many reasons, and some may include the ones we hoped for.

Our plans do not always align with those of the Universe. Our sense of control can often get in our way. Our definition of success may not be deep enough. Our sense of direction may be in conflict with where we need to go next. Essentially, we need to step out of our own way, be open to our authentic truth and allow our path to unfold before us so that we can move forward with ease and grace. Now, of course, this does not mean life will be without its struggles. But, if we can adopt these practices into our sense of being, we will then be receptive to the lessons and the gifts of awareness found within those struggles.

It is not always easy to live this way. Our inner critic wants to judge our success, it wants to compare our progress to those of others, it wants to find fault in our struggles and be recognized for our achievements.

Finding the joy in our accomplishments and celebrating our lifetime milestones is a beautiful part of living a full and vibrant life. Trusting that we will move along in our days doing what needs to be done, learning what needs to be embraced, noticing the beauty, opening to the experiences...we find that all is timely and good and right. Yes, one less thing to worry about is a great thing for many who find themselves faced with the challenge of schedule and due dates.

Blessings, Lisa

Release and Wonder Found In the Sky

A dear friend of mine always finds wonder in the sky. Her soul finds the most majestic energies, beautiful pictures and wondrous release there. Allowing your mind and soul rise to the clouds and release any tension is a beautiful meditative practice.

Cliches often result from truthful occurrences. "Having your head in the clouds" can mean that you are not fully present or have flighty ideas. But, that does not need to be viewed from a negative perspective. Perhaps you are intentionally not being fully present in the chaos or tasks of the day, but instead are fully aware of your other needs. And so laying back, eyes following a beautiful puffy cloud formation, feeling the gentle breeze and watching a bird dip and dive is the perfect fit. Perhaps those flighty ideas are ideal for your pause from problem solving and instead allows your imagination to come out to play and your stress to be carried away.

I find myself practicing this meditative release and delighting in the wonder I see in the sky more often these days. A mere five minutes of this activity rejuvenates my body, mind and soul. Tension leaves, creativity is inspired, thoughts become clearer and joy steps in.

There is much hustle and bustle in my life, but to rise above it, just like the clouds, is a very helpful practice. Creating this intentional contrast between all my day's have to's to a few moments of want to's is a very important act of self-care and a delightful gift.

So, the next time you feel a little overwhelmed, a bit tired or drained or even need some inspiration, look to the skies. Take a few moments to be present there and the rest will follow.

Blessings, Lisa