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permission
JOY is all around us
Joy.
It’s there — all around us, ours to savor, ours to appreciate, ours to create…
Creating joy begins when you give yourself permission to slow down, just for a moment, so that you can observe the happenings of your own world. The small things. The occurrences or thoughts that might otherwise go unnoticed, if you hadn’t given yourself the moment to pay attention.
Even in our busy lives we have time to to invite mindfulness as the filter through which we view our day. Popping to the grocery store in the midst of several other chores, take notice of the smile on the face of a child who is helping his mom load the cart, or the elderly couple holding hands as they stroll the isles; when you walk into an office building, admire the flowers blooming brightly in the planter boxes; on the way back to your car, notice the sound of the birds singing from the trees; watch a sunrise or sunset, marveling at nature; walk alongside a stream; share a smooch with your sweetie…all of these everyday small details will bring you to joy.
The more you invite joy, the more familiar this healthful emotion becomes to you. Your cup will be half-full. Your world will shine brightly. Your tensions will melt away. You will feel lighter, more patient, and more energetic. From a purely physical perspective, the inflammation that occurs in response to the hurry-up stress hormones will diminish; blood vessel soften, leading to lowered blood pressure; blood glucose levels become more balanced; and brain chemistry becomes less chaotic — all of this, just from giving yourself permission to slow down to experience joy.
What is bringing you to joy today?
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A Cure for the Spins
My head was spinning. Ok, Ok, not in the way you are imagining…this was not the result drinking too much alcohol! My spins were in response to a long phone call with my web guy Lance Brown. And, by the way, the spins were not because of Lance, this was all about me. Sigh. My equilibrium shake-up comes from my inner voice reminding me to slow down, stay present, and to be kind to myself as I contemplate all the various options to grow my business, HeartMatters. I struggle with finding time for it all: blogging, writing articles, preparing for presentations, meeting with clients and following up on those meetings, building new relationships, and now tweetdeck…Not to mention, exercise, cooking, spending time with my husband, walking the dog, doing chores, blahblahblah.
So here is the cure: I hung up from Lance and marched right into the kitchen. I sliced apples and pears, then threw them into a baking dish, adding cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, and a pinch of sugar. I mashed up coconut oil, flour, and another pinch of sugar, tossed that on top of the fruit, placed the dish in the oven, set the heat for 350, the timer for 45 minutes, and voila! In less than 15 minutes, I had simmered down. The focus of thinly slicing the fruit and making the topping allowed me to breathe and quiet my mind. Now the mouth-watering smell wafting from my kitchen is another reward for having given myself permission to take 1/4 of an hour out of an already busy day to nourish myself by immersing in an activity that I cherish.The smile on my hubby’s face when he smells/see the unexpected dessert will be further reward!
In planning my day, I would not have seen time to make a fruit crisp, which makes that brief waltz away from “work” all the more of a gift. Next time, I might go out to the garden and weed for a few moments, or sit on the porch and listen to the birds singing from the treetops, or watch the clouds float by… you get the idea, right? Giving yourself permission to enjoy a few moments to relax in the middle of the spins will completely cure them!
What are you doing for your own variation of the spins?
