What’s your definition of abundance? Do you see yourself living in abundance now and in the future? If not, why not?

This was a question I posed in an earlier post. If you didn’t have a chance to read it, you can find it here.

Many of us initially think of abundance as an overflowing of something, such as the abundance of rain we’ve had in the northeast or having so much money we could swim in it. But if we allow our perspective to shift a bit, we can see that having abundance means having what you need when you need it.

I have an upcoming trip to California for my niece’s wedding and that has been taking up a lot of my mental and emotional energy. Not that I've been thinking about the warm weather or walks on the beautiful Santa Barbara beaches. No. I've been focusing on the outfit I needed to put together for the wedding. For months.

I went shopping for an outfit and didn’t find one thing that I would consider wearing. My only option was to take the tea-length dress I bought for another niece’s wedding, that I didn’t end up wearing because it made me look like a moose, and use the fabric to make a skirt.

My vision for humanity is global peace, where humans live in love and compassion for self and each other. There are a number of components to global peace and they all work together to create a world where everyone is respected for their uniqueness – for showing up.

I'm curious, how are you doing? Or perhaps the questions is, how are you feeling? Are you filled with a mixture of emotions, ups and downs? Have you managed to stay busy and don't know how you're doing or what you're feeling?
Let me ask you another question. Have you taken an intentional breath today? Or yesterday? Or the day before?

We all know we need breath to survive, more than we need food and water although those are pretty handy as well. And yet, we can take our breath for granted.

Breath is our life force. It's how we know we're alive.

Is life so short that we are required to rush through our days limiting ourselves to necessary tasks and chores? Living life as though it were meant to be busily done, or attended to, is not living. Life is by its very definition a stream, a flow of consciousness, a meanderer in time.

Think about your day today. What thoughts were streaming through your head as you put on your slippers or stepped into the shower? Was it your to-do list? Was it yesterday’s to-do list that didn’t get finished? Or did you think about how glorious it felt to wake up one more day, to have the opportunity to put your slippers on once again and walk down the hall to take one more shower. Did you?

Being in the present moment brings us to gratitude for what appears to be the smallest of activities that in truth aren’t that small.

You woke up! Your body carried you through the night and into the day. Your eyes opened and you were able to see the room around you. A soft bed lay under you and warm blankets lay upon you in a room with a ceiling in a house with a shower. In the moment before you open your eyes in the room where you have awakened, there is peace and calm. Can you sit in that feeling? Can you be present to it? Can you notice the beauty of all that is you in that one precious moment?

Most of the time that moment is fleeting, but it doesn’t have to be. This moment, once noticed, can stay with you throughout the day – you can carry it with you. It’s you without your busyness. What if you were to look at your day with the eyes of that moment you felt upon waking? Soft, gentle, spacious.

You don’t have to be busy and stressed unless you want to be. As always, it’s a choice – one that can be continued or altered. If you try making a different decision, by choosing spaciousness and consciously being in the flow of your life, observe how that impacts your day. I’d love to have you share your observations!

In love and light,
Deborah

Photo credit: Debbie Hudson - Unsplash

As unexpected as this year turned out to be, I think it’s important to be mindful of any uplifting or positive moments - things we can be grateful for. It would be sad to let this year pass by letting it think it had been a total flop.

I have an end of the year practice that I have done for several years and this year is no exception. Each December I sit and read through my journals and reminisce, mostly being reminded of the many wonderful things that have happened throughout the year that I’ve forgotten about. That’s the main reason I like to keep a journal – it reminds me of what I have forgotten.

As part of my end of the year practice, I make a list of all the books I’ve read. I’m generally surprised at the number and variety of books on the list. This year my husband and I are taking our lists and sharing them with each other on New Year’s Eve. We’re going to pick out our favorites and share what we liked about the book and perhaps a key point or two. We haven’t done this before, but since there won’t be anything else going on, it seems like a fun thing to do.

In the past, I’ll list out the various places I’ve traveled to over the year. That will be a very short list this year, so instead I’ll list out all the new experiences I’ve created while being in the house which include moving my coaching practice online. I had put that off for several years and to my surprise, it's working out quite well and I am enjoying it very much.

I’ll sum up these lists with a journal entry of what I’m most grateful for the year. I already know that I am sincerely grateful for my health and the health of my family. Having two elderly parents who seem to be able to weather any storm is a blessing.

And, of course, I am grateful for all of you who have subscribed, read, and often commented on my blog. I love thinking about you as I decide what may be of interest as we walk this path of growing and evolving in conscious awareness together.

If you don’t already have an end of the year practice, I hope you will take some time to reflect on what you are grateful for this year. If any year deserves to know it had at least some teeny weeny something positive to offer, it’s this one.

In love and light,
Deborah


Image: Julia Joppien - Unsplash