Joy's Edge

I am so happy to be writing once again, after quite a summer of fluidity! I am excited to have a place to call home once more, and a computer that seems to be back in working order.

Welcoming Transformation
Over these last few months, I experienced a powerful invitation for change…  an invitation that I embraced wholeheartedly, trusting that my intuition is pointing me along a path towards tremendous opportunities for growth for myself and my family.

After living in Fort Collins, a lovely Colorado college town, for several years, I suddenly felt a strong impulse to move to Colorado’s Western Slope, nestled in the valley of two flowing rivers.  To make the move, I did the work of a general contractor, pulling together a dozen professionals to update my 60 year old house, readying it to sell.

The process offered numerous opportunities for learning about assertiveness, confidence, practical choices, and house repair. I also learned a lot about paring back – getting rid of about half of my belongings, and streamlining what was left to the essentials needed while traveling with my dogs in my car during the weeks when I was between homes.

Initially, it was unclear where we’d end up, and there were several hiccups along the way.  And yet, now that we’ve landed, what a wonderful place to be!  I love waking up surrounded by red cliffs (the picture above is a view from my window), and I can already see ways in which I can bring real value to my clients at my new position.  I feel tremendous enthusiasm and gratitude for where I am and for the possibilities ahead.

Effecting Change
When you see an invitation for change, are you willing to take it?  If you see an opportunity for beneficial transformation, are you willing to step forward? Especially when you know that you just don’t know how things will turn out, are you willing to take a leap of faith?

Sometimes change appears as invitations that we can easily refuse: slight adjustments to our schedules and routines that may provide unexpected joy, such as by making new friends or accepting new challenges at work.  Sometimes change is much more insistent, such as through unexpected inheritance or pregnancy, or by getting laid off or losing a house to wildfire. For me, I had a quiet realization that a fundamental shift was necessary for my next flowering.

However it happens, it is lovely to discover what unexpected beauty can unfold when we take a chance at saying “yes” to our intuition’s guidance.  I wish you all the best in your growth and joy.

As I’ve watched the heartbreaking news from Nepal over the last few days, I’ve found myself reflecting on time I spent in Nepal and India about 15 years back. I remember the Nepalese fondly. I met many kind, generous, resilient people… people with twinkling eyes and quiet strength.

On that trip, we discovered how quickly circumstances can change, and how perilous it can feel to be far from modern conveniences. As our group traveled through India on a bus, a cyclone struck. It uprooted huge trees, washed away roads, laid debris across train tracks, and knocked down the airport’s tower.  At one point in our journey, as the rain poured, we came to a place where a flood of water washed over our dirt road. We stopped to deliberate.

If we turned back, it was likely that the road behind us would also become flooded out.  And, the trains and planes were shut down, likely for weeks, due to the cyclone’s damage.  If we waited for clear weather, it seemed likely that the flood waters would carry the dirt road out to sea.  If we drove across the flood waters, our bus could be pushed off the road and washed downstream. Or, the road could wash away beneath us.  Or, we could safely cross the path of water.

It can be difficult to move forward into the unknown. And yet, in that moment, doing so was our best option. We decided to drive across, and so each of us made our own preparations. I zipped my passport, a few food bars, and a bottle of water into my pockets.  Then, as we crossed, I reflected on my loved ones…  picturing each in my mind’s eye – their appearance, their mannerisms, the sounds of their voices, their unique smells…  For each, I reflected lovingly on their qualities, appreciating their inner and outer beauty.

As I reflected, and as love and gratitude filled me, I felt tremendous joy and appreciation for our connection, for my life, and for the dangerous moment that so powerfully slowed my mind’s activities. I felt the power and love that arose from deep gratitude – as well as the understanding that, truly, in that moment, everything was OK.

Since that journey, I’ve found it tremendously beneficial to meditate on love and gratitude in other challenging moments…  to welcome whatever is present, even (or, perhaps, especially) when the outcome is unknown.  If you find yourself in a challenging position, I invite you to take a moment to deeply reflect on love and gratitude and then to see what arises for you.

And, if you feel inspired to support the Nepalese relief efforts, there are many wonderful organizations helping the people, and there are several sites that describe the type of help your donations would support (such as on CNN, at the New York Times, and at Buzzfeed).

I hope you are tremendously, joyfully, well.

Namaste (an Indian and Nepalese greeting which means “the light in me honors and bows to the light in you”),

Robin

Spring has arrived in a big way in Colorado, with vivid colors bursting from bulbs (I’m sharing a few recent pictures from my backyard garden), grass shifting from brown to bright green, and birds singing joyful melodies. Last weekend, my boyfriend, dogs, and I hiked through our local state park… strolling a few miles under warm, blue skies before enjoying a picnic at the top of a ridge. And yet, as I write, storm clouds are blowing in… carrying a promise of snow and a reminder that spring is all about unpredictability and change.
For the last few weeks, I have been consciously attended to just how important it is to tap into your heart…  to be truly willing to feel the places in your life that are resonant with you, and to be willing to feel and identify anything that feels somehow dissonant.  This study is at times quite uncomfortable: it can be painful to honestly draw your mind’s eye to your places of dissonance.  And yet, what beauty lies in the process of being willing to compassionately and mindfully notice where your life feels out-of-sync with who you are- and then to make the shifts you need for greater alignment.
So, in my life, spring has provided exquisite reflection and inspiration. The sun and the newly blooming flowers are lovely, and they easily inspire simple joy.  And, the storm clouds are at least as beneficial.  My reaction to the cold they bring reminds to notice where I withdraw. And, the water they bring reminds me that both storm and sun are essential for growth.

Clearing for the new year
In Colorado, we’ve had quite a cold spell in the last few days.  On my drive to work yesterday, a thermometer showed -12 F (-24 C).  Luckily, it heated up to the 20s by the afternoon–warm enough for the dogs to enjoy a bit of a stroll in the cool, bright sunlight.  And, I’m hoping our lovely blanket of snow protected most of the plants from our frigid weather.

When it gets this chilly, it is especially inviting to stay in, reflecting and clearing in anticipation of the year to come.  Over the last month or so, I’ve been focused on clearing things out–getting rid of shoes that were too well worn and those “solo socks” lingering in the drawer, donating clothes in good shape that don’t fit or that I simply don’t feel inspired to wear, completing small projects, organizing the files on my computer drive… Simultaneously, I’ve been clearing internally: examining aspects of my life and thought patterns, considering what is ready to be released, and where I might most beneficially grow.

For many of us, our lives get so busy in the lead-up to year’s end that it is hard to find time for reflection.  If that’s true for you, perhaps you’ll find a welcome opportunity for clearing in the next few days, when so many of our work lives are still operating at the slower pace of “holiday mode,” and yet there are few events to plan and to attend.

Welcoming the new year
If you feel inspired, what a beautiful time to spend in quiet reflection, acknowledging and feeling grateful for moments in the last year–moments of challenge, of connection, of accomplishment, of apparent defeat, of ease, of sadness, of love, of frustration, of joy.  How lovely to truly reflect on gratitude for yourself, for your loved ones, for your community, for the opportunities and discoveries that you encountered along your path.  I find that gratitude is incredibly powerful in opening my heart to the present, and in softening the grasp of thoughts like “could have, would have, should have.”

A visualization for gratitude
When gratitude is difficult to tap into, it can be tremendously helpful to begin with a visualization meditation, grounding in light. For this meditation, first find your meditative seat–a place of balance and ease in your physical body, whether sitting or lying down. Next, reach through your seat (and feet, if in a chair) with roots, extending into the earth, feeling supported and nourished. Visualize a golden sphere around you, and light pouring through your crown, filling you and your sphere with light, support, and love.  You may also find it exquisite to visualize light pouring through the back of your heart and out the front, filling your heart with love that flows out, filling your sphere.  When your meditation feels complete, dissolve your roots, seal your crown and back, and visualize the dissolution of your sphere.  Rest in love and support for as long as you like, perhaps completing your meditation with heartfelt gratitude for whatever arose.

Traveling your authentic path in 2015
Gratitude can be tremendously profound in supporting your opening to whatever and whoever is present in your life, and to opening your heart to what your spirit would most love to create in the new year.  As you step into 2015, I invite you to take time for reflection, for gratitude, and for visioning–tapping into what changes in your life would most truly serve you and your authentic path.  I’d love to hear from you about your discoveries.

I hope you have an extraordinary, joy-filled 2015!