Heart Wanderings: Flowing Through My Days

Frederick Douglass said, "Without a struggle, there can be no progress. " Oprah Winfrey is quoted saying, "Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." Danny Dreyer states, "I look at struggle as an opportunity to grow. True struggle happens when you can sense what is not working for you and you're willing to take the appropriate action to correct the situation. Those who accomplish change are willing to engage the struggle."

These quotes I can relate to. I know struggle. I know striving. I know sacrificing and analyzing and hoping and praying and practicing to be what and how I want to be. What I am less familiar with is what has been happening in my life lately. I am in the flow. I am how I am. I am present. For the most part, I am happy.

What has lead to this? For one, I attended a very powerful women's retreat a couple weeks ago that focused on the Spiritual Laws. Wise women gathered and discussed using the power of attraction, intention, gratitude, and abundance to make positive, radical change within our lives. I had heard of all of these concepts before, but it wasn't until I thought of them as 'tools' to be used or played with that I really got excited about putting them to use.

When I considered my life and what I wanted to see in it, I realized that in almost every aspect, I had started a small fire burning. Throughout the winter, I had gathered the wood, set the kindling, and this spring matches were lit to clear off all of the debris and build towards the fiery, passionate life I had imagined.
I am starting to work on a mother-daughter quilt with my mom, using scraps of material from our childhoods that she has saved throughout the decades. This, I hope, will serve as the method to help us deepen our relationship. I am teaching my first Mommy and Baby Yoga classes this month in preparation to offer a six-week series this summer. I am opening up the doors on topics that my husband and I have silently agreed not to talk about because they were too uncomfortable or awkward. I am able to use the peaceful parenting techniques I have studied over the past year with increasing comfort and ease so that I am now enjoying time with my children more than ever before. I am in the flow...

Last week I was on spring break. My children and I took a trip to visit a number of fun 'kid' places in St. Louis while staying with my parents in the evenings. It was wonderful to go on our own schedule, to have no agenda besides having fun, and to give each other our undivided attention. I realized during this trip that I really like hanging out with my kids. They are funny, thoughtful, sweet people. I also realized that given that scenario, I didn't feel like I needed a 'break' or 'me time' for an hour or two each day like I do at home. When I took away my obligations (major cooking, cleaning, working, etc.) and just lived in the moment, the moments were blissful. We carried this philosophy back home with us as best as we could and spent the rest of our break gardening, tending to our chickens, trying new recipes, riding bikes, reading, and spending time with friends. Along with the laundry, dishes, and cleaning, I almost effortlessly floated through my days.

Going into my normal schedule this week, I wondered if I would fall back into my habits of worrying about the future and holding onto the past. I could get overwhelmed and feel 'the struggle' again. Before experiencing this sense of peace that has been present, I felt as if This is Life. But, I was willing to try to use my spiritual tools and envision myself flowing through my days with ease, making the choice in any given moment to follow my bliss or to accept the moment as it is and make the best of it. I could use the Law of Gratitude and know that all that I express genuine thankfulness for will be multiply. Through the Power of Abundance, I could realize that I hold all of the elements to living a deeply meaningful, joyful life within me. Where I place my attention will magnify...be it on struggle or on simply living a mindful, happy, contented life.

And you know what? I am still flowing! I am starting to wonder... Maybe THIS is life! The struggle I was facing before was just my resistance to it. THAT is a concept I am excited to explore. I notice my true nature manifested within my daily life. I vision meeting each moment with awareness and perspective. I know the Universe is on my side and all of the answers I have been searching for are already within me, but waiting for the most opportune time to reveal themselves. I am open to the Divine and feel the Divine opening in me. Powerful and exciting and full of wonder...

Below I have included a couple images that represent the flow in my life I am currently experiencing. How about you? Are you in the flow? If not, how can you use mindfulness and the Spiritual Laws to help you reach that state? What are you resisting or holding onto to?