Day 24/366 days Towards Self-Mastery. Status: mellowed after reflecting
When I hear the word "blessings" or any other synonym that is common to a religious context, I'm immediately in resistance mode. So quite a bit of time today was spent on trying to find another that I could make friends with to write this post.
And it didn't happen. So in an interesting way I was encouraged to let go of that resistance and go with the flow. Stay with what is. Isn't that what Sarah has been trying to teach me these last few days?
(I love these fruity images. It's the middle of summer here and it's lovely to witness the trees laden with plump hanging fruit and the rows of berries in the supermarkets.)
Today's inspiration is about those blessings
Count your blessings, but before you do, bless all those things that you realised yesterday were your reality. Even the tough stuff, the misery making ones. You never know where those will lead you, so bless them and trust that they are leading you in the right direction.
Start with blessing everything that you identified as your reality. Then write a list of blessings that you already have. A long list, everything you can think of. Maybe 100 or more.
This idea that whatever is happening now is perfect and just right and necessary for the next thing to come, I understand it. I know it from experience, sometimes bitter experience.
And when I'm embroiled in it, it sometimes takes my breath away. My nervous system wants to activate and go down on me. My fears kick in. If it wasn't for these experiences I would not have discovered how well to down-regulate my nervous system, let me tell ya. But enough already!
Sigh, or maybe not.
That idea of blessing those things that are my reality that are misery-making, I'm going to have to nail that one. This is when affirmations may just be helpful. I'm not such a big fan of affirmations, but I do need a new habit in this department. One that drowns out the worry.
There's a long and inherited history to my worry and just as I'm writing I realise that I need to befriend it, rather than resist it. Let it be a signal that I'm off track, not appreciating what is. Hmmm... shall give that a test drive. Taking a dose of my own medicine.
That list of 100 things? It's done. And I could probably keep going. Sometime reminders to count our blessings are blessings in themselves. 🌷
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.