Nature's Lessons: Skyscapes

As I meander towards more natural ways of living, I've found myself taking cues, lessons, and encouragement from Mother Nature herself. Today's restorative message is brought to you by the sky above your head.

Our ever-changing skyscape reminds me that stagnation is an illusion perpetuated by my limited perception-along with my even more limited ego. Just like the fluffy cloud dinosaurs who stretch and shift into haunted wispy faces in the sky, everything around us is in constant flux, but the measured pace of the change makes it easy to miss. I must remember to practice patience during slower transitions and transformations. Wanna really be smacked in the face by the power of transformation? Enjoy a full sunrise or sunset.

The surprising beauty of the sky reminds me how much loveliness is constantly accessible to me if I can just remember to look for it. Whether it's layer after layer of cozy cloud blankets reminding me just how many shades of gray exist in nature or prismatic sunbeams dramatically peeking through cloud windows, there's always something to appreciate when I gaze upward-or downward-or aroundward.

The expansiveness of the sky reminds me to be both humble and excited about the possibilities of the wide-open future. When coupled with a willingness to fulfill one's potential, humility can serve as an excellent counterweight. Also, the sheer enormity of the sky allows for a panoramic display of beauteous scenes, reminding me that if I shift my perspective even just a few degrees, my entire outlook can change! What a fly sky!

Photo by Dane Hill

The Gift of Experience

"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."
~Oliver Wendall Holmes Jr

Tomorrow is my little brother's birthday! Typically, I would deliberate endlessly about the perfect present for him, but now that I'm simplifying my world, the last thing I want to give him is a THING to further clutter his. Instead, I've decided to start gifting my loved ones with amazing experiences! Most everyone I know already has more stuff than they can handle, and these same folks tend to suffer from guilt when they even think about splurging on a fun class, vacation, or concert.

This gift shift really has made all the difference; figuring out presents has become creative and fun again! It's helped my active listening skills too, since I have to be something of a detective to figure out just the right type of experience to bestow. Classes are a great option and range from sculpture to yoga and everything in between. Dance classes would be fun for singles or couples, and a few painting and cooking classes that I've seen in town actually have a 'bring your own wine' policy, which always helps with self-consciousness! A night out, a weekend away, or even just a free night of babysitting would please any parents, and if you happen to know music preferences, a concert or music festival pass makes an amazing gift! Other ideas include play or movie tickets, museum or art gallery passes, or tickets to a wine or beer tasting-really, the only limit is your imagination.

Tonight we're going to a local comedy club to have dinner and enjoy an improv show. My bro mentioned an interest in improvisational comedy a few months ago but hasn't had a chance to check it out in person-until this evening! Between tickets, food, and drinks for myself, my husband, and my brother, I'll be looking at about $60; $60 worth of laughter, quality time, and fun-filled memories for later-what a bargain!

Simple Seaside Meditation

Settle yourself comfortably onto the sand of your inner seashore.  As you enjoy the feeling of your muscles relaxing even as your spine extends skyward, all you can see are beiges and blues spreading out before you.  Watch your breath and notice how it’s connected to the rhythm of the rolling waves.  Let the rhythm of the ocean sooth you.  Simply watch the tide advance and recede, matching the breath. 

Rolling in…rolling out; feel this sea of calm focus fill your mind, leaving room for nothing else.

Rolling in…rolling out; feel this sea of loving gratitude fill your heart, leaving room for nothing else.

Rolling in…rolling out; feel this sea of joyful curiosity fill your soul, leaving room for nothing else.

Rolling in…rolling out; feel this sea of strength & energy fill your body, leaving room for nothing else.

Stay here-simply watching, breathing, relaxing, and extending skyward.

*I recommend visiting the seashore as much as possible, but if you’re only able to make it for a few minutes in the morning and the evening, you’ll still reap the benefits: reduced stress and increased focus, appreciation, compassion, and ability to let go!

Fitness That Could Literally Save Your Life

The moment starts out innocently enough: me getting some amazing shots of the changing, rosy light reflecting off the water as the day meanders from late afternoon into early evening. In fact, I am so focused on perfecting the angle of the next one that I don't realize I'm right on the precipice of the cliff, and after only mere seconds of dusty fumbling, I find myself hanging from a hopefully sturdy root, listening to my camera crashing and splashing below me. With no white knight in sight, it's suddenly up to me to save myself-with the power of a solitary pull-up!

While I hope to never find myself in this situation, I am certain that I cannot do a true pull-up: going from a dead hang to pulling my chin above my hands on the bar. We have one of the door frame chin-up bars just outside our living room that I've been eyeing apprehensively for a few months now.  Truly, I have no excuse why this feat shouldn't happen by summertime this year. Not only will I feel amazing and capable about myself physically, but I think that confidence would spill over into all the other areas of my life! I have my steps mapped out to make this feat happen, and once I can perform 5 perfect reps at each step, I can go to the next one; here's my progression:

Step 1: Three to four second negatives (work on controlling the body through space on the way down)
Step 2: Start at the top (chin at the bar) and go from the top to the middle and back up
Step 3: Start at the top and go all the way down and all the way back up
Step 4: The final step-from the full hang to all the way up and back down again


I know this is usually the time of year when all are battling with their bodies and forcing them into summertime submission, but I've developed a different idea of physical perfection.  I'm already deeply in love with my body due to overflowing appreciation-it does so very much for me every single day, but it could use a couple enhancements.  With the holidays just behind us, I find myself still festively plump, so I would like there to be less of me. Now, what remains should be strong, fast, graceful, and full of endurance. I figure this multi-faceted approach could essentially be a base on which I can develop any number of physical skills!

Besides the chin-up bar, my dear husband and I currently have some hand weights, a balance ball, a yoga mat, a weighted hula hoop, a fitness DVD collection, tons of parks and hiking trails in the area, music, and our imaginations!   Having had a gym membership in the past as well as having been a personal trainer myself, I truly believe I can save money, be more effective, and have more fun doing this on my own! I'll be happy to compare the costs of the different methods over the course of this year!

Simple fitness equals effective fitness; elusive chin-up, here I come!

Beginning Where I Am

"The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have fantasized about building my own house; I have imagined figuring out what materials to use, planning the process down to the most detailed detail, and then using these two hands of mine to actually MAKE the place where I would live. I realize this is not an overly outlandish notion, but it is also not what is typically done these days. Most people who say they are in the process of building a house have simply hired a bunch of contractors to do it for them, but because they picked what kind of marble for the counter tops (in addition to shelling out all the money to make it happen), they feel entitled to all the credit.

This blog is not about learning how to build my own house. I do hope to become much more self-reliant, and possibly to the point where my home construction fantasies aren't quite so fantastical. To me though, being truly self-reliant means being able to provide life's most basic needs on my own: food, clothing, shelter, and water. Unfortunately and blessedly, I was born into this American culture where one never needs to acquire these skills. In many ways, I feel we have been disabled by technology and this consumer-driven society, where any and every service is available for the right price. I grew up in a world ruled by Coca-cola Santa Clause and a version of Jesus who preferred churches with $50,000 stained glass windows.

I want to step in another direction. I want to court and woo patience, discipline, imagination, and contentment. I want to learn to pause in the space between stimulus and response. In a practical sense, I want to learn where I am dependent, figure out why, and break those dependencies. I am ready to spend less and live more.  My tentative, initial plan is to cultivate awareness in regards to money and spending. My dear husband and I are moving in April, and we have already established a goal of getting rid of as much stuff as possible before the actual move. We have started to sell a bit on eBay, so we're hoping to make a bit of money during the endeavor! Let Phase 1: Awareness and Possession Purging commence!