Part of this beautiful year to my best has been simply taking time to breathe in the small lessons, to let them sink in. These are random thoughts that have made my last month meaningful.
Be a kid.
It's easy to get caught up in being a grown-up. We have things to do, bills to pay, people to see. Sometimes it is amazing to step back and see the joy children have over the small things. Tomorrow doesn't matter. Today is amazing. It's fun to jump, and yell, and show joy for the sake of joy. I am lucky enough to have friends around me with children so I can love their kid-ness infinitely!
Be interested.
This is not something I have much trouble with, honestly. Just about everything interests me. But sometimes we don't ask all the questions we'd like for fear of looking silly or ignorant. Every new person I meet is like a new door opening to a world of information. Some of them must think my sudden interest in their lives, homes, and jobs are strange. I can't help it. I am curious. Getting answers to the most random of questions is like lightbulb moment after lightbulb moment. So in my efforts to keep being interested, I will keep asking questions. You have all been warned.
Allow yourself to have joy about the little things.
Like new socks.
And freshly-washed bedsheets.
And warm cookies.
And matching pajama sets.
ALL SO EXCITING!
Give. It feels good.
I always want to volunteer or give to good causes, but I get bogged down in all the details. Who should I choose to donate to? Where should I volunteer? There are too many options. How can I be most effective? Will they use my money well? Will it make any difference? On, and on, and on. Maybe I should take a note from Jim Carrey in "Yes Man" and just start saying yes when the opportunity to give is presented to me. When Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast, my office had a chance to donate money to the Red Cross for relief. We did. Some of my book club friends were able to donate blood, so they did. My office has the chance to help an Atlanta organization feed the hungry for Thanksgiving, help a family in need experience Christmas, and deliver meals to elderly and disabled people. So, we just said yes. Do I know that it will all be terrific? Nope. Am I glad we're willing to give? Yep.
Let things sink into your heart.
I read a lot. Every day. I read quickly, and sometimes I don't let things sink in. So sometimes it's nice to switch to poetry or something that makes me spend more time with words and ideas. I saw a quote from Rumi that made my heart swell, and I've been meditating on it for probably two weeks now.
"Set your life on fire.
Seek those who fan your flames."
The simplicity of this stuns me. The power of it stuns me. And every day, I wonder if I am setting my life on fire. And if I am surrounding myself with people who fan those flames and make me stronger. The more I meditate on it, the more it becomes real. It takes time to let this sort of idea sink into me, become internal...so I know I have to be patient. Give it time.
Do things you're bad at. So you get less bad.
I am not a good painter. I don't know how to ballroom dance.
But I will keep doing both. And I will improve!
That's a lot of little lessons for one month...
LOVE that quote.
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