After the traumatic experience of the pandemic lockdown, people felt relief at emerging into a more normal life, but during that time relationships had seriously frayed, and domestic violence rose. The result was a questioning about what relationships would look like in the future. Instead of a return to the status quo, there is room for renewing the inspiration that makes a loving permanent relationship so valuable in the first place.
"It’s the most selfish thing I’ve done in my life is give. Because of the joy that I get from it. I love it.”
Meditation is a natural way for the body to surrender to a state of peace and relaxation. While you can get so much out of sitting on a cushion and meditating, there’s also something to be said about incorporating more active forms of meditation—such as painting landscapes—for healing.
Receptivity — or open-mindedness — requires more cognitive effort than dogmatism. Receptivity asks you to welcome uncertainty and information you may not align with, which isn’t always easy.
“If you have no relationship with nature, you have no relationship with man” - J. Krishnamurti
Gratitude is a universal presence. Whether you make a point to spend time with it each day or it bubbles up spontaneously in a moment of contentment or wonder, you probably already know many of the gifts it brings. Gratitude makes us aware of the preciousness of our lives, puts us in touch with the love we have for those we share it with, and reminds us that we are already whole.
At the start of each year, my children and I sit down to choose our Word. This word becomes the focal point for our intentions throughout the year. Whether we’re starting a new project, working on relationships, setting goals, or choosing our community collaborations, we take our Word into consideration as we live, work and play.
When we think of the word abundance, we often think of material accumulation or “how much” we have. The way society frames abundance is almost always connected to material wealth which can leave us constantly reaching for more. If we get caught up in this mindset it leads us to believe that we are not inherently enough. Through constantly searching outside of ourselves, seeking validation for our enough-ness, our vision becomes clouded. We can’t see clearly that there’s a natural flow of abundance around and within us if we are stuck in a scarcity mindset.
Have you ever had one of those apologies that left you feeling worse than before? Where the person says the words, “I’m sorry” but follows it up with something that negates it. Those apologies that have a but. The ones that spend a millisecond in responsibility and validation of your experience and immediately make a quick 180-degree turn to let you know that you are actually at fault.