.... Go with the flow.... I am really trying. Really. Trying. To not plan, foresee, worry and look ahead. I live in today really well, but worrying about tomorrow is something I am working on!...Immerse yourself in nature... I do. Everyday. I notice the dew on the ladies mantle, the exquisite smell from my rosebush, the trilling of the birds when I walk the dog, the beauty of the clouds. I cannot imagine the emptiness of not noticing what is around me. How can you not marvel at an enormous white oak tree, knowing how slow it is to grow? Not wonder who perhaps it was that planted and watched that tree grow over the last 100 years? Not be amazed at the changing of the seasons, the power of a storm.... I wonder if more people might find happiness if they spent less time pursuing the material and more time absorbing the world around them.
...Slow down and Meander. Go around the obstacles... Oh I try. And try. Slowing down is hard when you have a multitude of thoughts running rampant through your head. And going around obstacles is hard when you are like me, I just want to hit them head on and deal with them so I can move forward. Perhaps I need to take this advice and accept the obstacles as just being there, and move around them gracefully, not hit them head on and make waves.......
...Be thoughtful of those downstream... If only everyone thought of this. What we do affects others. The choices we make have consequences. The earth is fragile and what we do here affects people elsewhere. You could parlay this is so many ways! The $5 t-shirt costs so much more if you look at the financial, social and environmental flow. The choices we make as parents affect our children through their life. Yet, the advice is to be thoughtful-- not perfect. If all of us were more thoughtful of our downstream effects would our consciousness have big results?
...Stay Current... Turn on the CBC people! Read a little. Wish more did.
...The beauty is in the journey... And it is. Unfortunately the obstacles cloud the beauty. The constant push to faster and away from the 'meander' speed makes it hard to be reflective. And sometimes I think it is age that gives us the perspective needed to realize the beauty of the lesson that is life.
I do believe there is a plan for me and my life. A greater purpose. A challenge and set of lessons uniquely mine. But with all the challenges, I kind of want a MAP! But, if I can follow these guidelines from a river, perhaps my need for a map will relax.... I can dream.... Thanks for wearing the shirt Dad!
