Meditation Eleven

Ever want to run away?

Find a deserted island and move in?

Over there is looking pretty good. Yeah.

For some of us, running is a way of life. We seem to need to be perpetually in motion. On the go. Taking in as much as we can stand and then some. Verging on burnout, we long to escape, to be anywhere but here. We imagine ourselves in different settings, perhaps with different people.

Imagining happier circumstances is not a bad thing. It signals a need for change, and reveals a tendency to be solution-oriented. You know that there has to be something better than this. There is. But it’s not necessarily always over there. What you need might be closer than you think.

Turn your focus inward for a moment, and ask yourself what you are really trying to be free of. What do you hunger for? What would make a difference in how you are feeling? What one thing could you do right now to make a positive change?

If you can channel your willingness to imagine yourself happier into making small, manageable adjustments, where you are will begin to look better. How you see and do things can change. Believe it. Act on it. You have the power. You just might find that, not only are you exactly where you need to be, you are where you want to be.

My imagination puts the wind in my sails, but I am at the helm of this ship, and I’m right on course.

Meditation Twelve

Paradise is in the eye of the beholder.

Do you long to be shorter, taller, thinner, heavier; your hair to be straight or curvy; your skin darker or lighter? Do you wish you had more of her money, social life, career; his home, talents, adventures?

It’s one thing to be inspired towards desired change. And quite another to obsess.

The message we absorb and send out, when we place too much emphasis on the treasures of others, is that our own gifts have little or no value. Our energies might better be spent exploring our personal landscapes and building our selves up.

Take stock of your treasures and honour them. Celebrate them. Believe it or not, someone is wishing they were theirs.

There is more to me than meets the eye. I am worth the effort it takes to learn to love myself just as I am, and to make the most of what I’ve got.

Meditation Thirteen

When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressive creature.

~Robert Henri

Get out your brushes. It’s time for a walk on the wild side.

Think of yourself as an artist, and your life as a masterpiece in progress. Each day you add to it, bringing the life you dream of into view. Today it needs a bold stroke of color, something to catch your eye and draw you into the picture. You are, after all, the key subject in your painting. And you are vibrant. Passionate. Alive!

So, risk a little color. Push your personal boundaries a smidge and dare one thing that will make your vision of the future a reality.

Do it today.

Put worry away and reach for what you want. Make that call. Write that note. Go where you must to express, in some way, the thing that burns deep inside. If things don’t turn out quite as you’d like, remind yourself that it’s not a permanent move, just a walk on the wild side.

I am bold, passionate, alive! Today I’m pulling color from my wild side and adding it to my masterpiece. It would not be true, not quite me, without it.

Meditation Fourteen

There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power…

~Washington Irving

An ocean of emotion, and not one tear.

When was the last time you felt intensely angry, sad, afraid, or overjoyed?

How many tears did you shed? Any at all?

The mere thought of expressing our deepest feelings is enough to shut some of us down. We’ve been taught to put on a brave front. Don’t cry. To hold our emotions in check. That’s not nice. To be in control. If I start, I’ll never stop.

While it is important to be reasonable, it’s also important not to pretend you don’t feel. You are an emotional being, biologically designed to express yourself. When you withhold, stuff, block—you deny yourself opportunities to release intense feelings. This can be harmful not only to your emotional health but to your body.

Let those tears flow. If privacy is a prime concern, go to a place where you can be alone. If the feelings have subsided by the time you get there (which can happen if you’re well-practiced in blocking), try prompting them with music, scents, or images that remind you of the experience. Then give yourself permission to let go.

I honor all my feelings. They are fluid. Their intensity is temporary. And, for my own good, they must be acknowledged and released.

Meditation Fifteen

One of the most exciting discoveries we can make is the realization that we are not alone.

When we first encounter people who share experiences similar to ours, we go through a mixture of mental and emotional states. Disbelief. Relief. Joy! Here, at last, are those who understand where we’ve been because they’ve been there too. We have found our people. We have arrived.

The journey, however, has really only begun. And the weather is not always favorable.

During the long, darker days you may feel fragile, brittle, vulnerable. At times, it seems as though you’re standing still, going nowhere. Know that this is simply part of the process. Remember that you’re in good company. The stalwart souls travelling with you are your earthly kin and your angels. Although they cannot make the journey for you, they will inspire, guide and nurture you. Gather them in for comfort and support. Before long you will realize that you are not only surviving, you are thriving.

I have much to gain and to give in the company of my peers. Together we are accomplishing more than I ever dared believe possible.

Meditation Seventeen

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

~Victor Hugo

Let the sun shine in.

Recovering a whole person is serious business. This makes it doubly important to maintain a sense of humour and to laugh frequently. Relationships depend on it. Lives depend on it.

Laughing gives your muscles a workout, moves oxygen throughout the body, lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. It also releases mood-elevating endorphins, which can alleviate pain, anxiety and depression.

Watching comedies, sharing jokes or just plain clowning around—there are countless ways to open up a window of light-hearted humour. You might even try laughing without prompts, as John Graham-Pole suggests in the book, Illness and the Art of Creative Self-Expression. Simply laugh. Now. Begin with a “teehee” and work yourself into a good belly laugh. Don’t worry if it feels phony. You’re practicing. Just fake it until you make it, even if it makes you feel a little embarrassed. Dr. Graham-Pole says, “If you’re like everyone else I know, you’ve been hanging onto a lot of embarrassment for far too long.  It’s high time to have a hearty laugh and be rid of it.”

So, peel back the shades, and lighten up.

I’m too funny for my blinds.

Eee-hee, eee-hee-hee. Ho, ho, ho! Ha-ha-ha… ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Ahhhhhh-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Meditation Eighteen

What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?

~George Elliot

An invisible cloak is draped around my heart and nothing can get in. Nothing.

After years of practice in the art of self-preservation we sometimes overreact. At the slightest hint of a warm breeze—a smile, an expression of goodwill, a helping hand extended—we become rigid, impenetrable. This can have a negative effect on our relationships. We might even be accused us of being distant, arrogant or snobbish.

Despite appearances, we don’t necessarily believe we’re superior. Nor inferior. We simply feel a greater-than-average need to protect ourselves.

Closing off in situations of extreme stress is a way of coping. We harden in order to safeguard the most vulnerable parts of ourselves. That’s natural. But it’s not in our best interests to stay that way. When the moment or season has passed, it’s time to return to a more fluid state. Become receptive once again. Connect with others. And grow.

There is no need to hide from the sun. Melting does not mean meltdown. In this scene you are the tree, not the ice! A little warmth will do you good.

Come in from the cold.

My roots are tender but I am hardy, perennial, enduring. I can weather all seasons, including those of the heart. I welcome each in its turn.

Meditation Nineteen

Rise

and stand tall.

As we try on new ways of doing things we may be reminded of how we did them in the past. Reflecting on the places we’ve been and what was done there can stir up unpleasant memories. And shame.

Who was that and what was I thinking?

Take this as a sign of recovery, that the person you were then has undergone a transformation. You have begun to see yourself, your future and, perhaps, your history in new light. You are growing.

You cannot change the past. You can change what it means to you.

Do you see that your experiences have brought you to the place you are now? Do you see how you have you have grown?

I have a long way to go. But then again, I’ve come a long way already!