Day 103/366 days Towards Self-Mastery. Mood: sombre
Connecting with the deep relationship we have with our body seems to be an important aspect of being a woman. I say "connecting with" because I don't think it's enough to say, learn to love your body.
More, I want to suggest, begin by knowing what it is you really do think of, and feel about your body.
Learning to love and honour your body
This body is the instrument through which you experience life. You love with it, you laugh with it, you care, support and work with it. It's clearly a most important aspect of your being-ness.
Instead of hating, make peace with your body.
When I started this project I never for a moment considered that I'd be writing through this world changing event, CV-19, yet here we are.
Could there be a better time to turn inwards and become acquainted with your relationship with the home that you have here on this earth plane, your body.
Do you value what you have?
Do you feel frustrated at aspects of your physical body?
Do you compare, wish for more or less?
Do you worry that you don't look good enough?
What are the parameters that you measure your physical appearance by?
There was a time I'd worry about my imperfections. As a teen I broke my perfectly formed, straight and well aligned front teeth, and have had numerous dental repairs since, none of which last long enough to look natural. Mostly those front teeth stand out as different and I can become extremely conscious of them.
At the same time I also suffered a lot of acne and without sound guidance I managed to scar my face badly by my vain attempts to remove pimples.
As I aged, the wrinkles began to form. Yet I noticed that they formed along my smile lines and highlighted my expression.
These things I live with daily. Sometimes I notice them, often they tease me as they look back at me on video presentations and online meetings.
With age I've come to worry less. In all honestly they have only ever been mentioned by 3 people throughout my whole life. Of course I remember those 3 people and their comments with clarity.
The lesson for me is that really nobody is looking for my perceived faults, and if they are they are not my friends. This is what I've got to live with and to experience life with. It has served me well. We've had a lot of fun together. I truly wish I had served it as well as it has supported me. There's no time like the present to start over.
The beauty of our inner world is infinitely more visible as it shines though our eyes and our hearts as we connect from a place of authenticity. I hope you can find yours.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.