Peppered Throughout the Day

Admittedly, I have very busy days. With five children, even those out on their own need TLC regularly, my darling husband, three separate careers, ongoing course work and all the small stuff… well, you can imagine. We all have full or overflowing plates it seems. Given that, I am quite certain that a small and simple acts that I have placed into the tiny spaces of free time that are left in my day are what save me. These acts keeps me grounded. They preserve my focus on my intentions. They help me stay connected to Spirit. They also support me in letting the petty problems that I stub my ego on throughout the day, roll off my back. They allow my heart to stay open to others.

So what are these small and simple acts that I weave through my day? I pepper my day with moments of prayer, deep breathing, positive affirmations, chants, meditations and more. These small undertakings keep the flow in my day. I rarely get stuck anymore. I am not saying I don’t have a “bad” day from time to time, that is inevitable, but these choices I make to bring the focus back can help save the day from falling completely into that deep black hole!

It is not unusual to find me chanting through a red light. You may see me whispering a mantra to myself as I chop the onions for the veggie chili for dinner. You may find me with my eyes closed after getting off the phone with one of my adult children, sending them prayers of positive energy and light to assist get them over whatever troubling speed bump they are facing.

People often wonder at how they can “become” more spiritual. It is as though they think there is a course they can take or a method that they can be trained in. The reality is that we are spiritual beings and we forget that beautiful truth. Being spiritual means just that…be spiritual. Bring whatever sacred act you feel connected to, whatever resonates with you into your life regularly and meaningfully. You must practice trusting it, honoring it, celebrating with it and relying on it.

Life will give you all the opportunities to put it into practice. And your mind will try to tell you there is not enough time. BUT that is exactly when you need it the most! Making time for your spirituality is as important as making time to exercise, or making time to eat healthy whole foods, or making time to laugh. Without it…what kind of a life are you living? You get to choose each and every glorious day!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Take Good Dose of Laughter and Call Me In the Morning

Children are often our very best teachers. Take for example the joy they find throughout the day. Children look at life through eyes of delight and newness. They see beauty where we see normalcy. They hear music, where we hear noise. And they feel laughter when we are often shut down. Hearing children giggle and then burst forth with a good belly laugh often brings a smile to our face. We recall how good it feels to really let go and have a whopping good, snorting, teary eyed, holding onto our sides, hard to breathe laugh!

We can invite laughter back into our lives through conscious choice. Laughter can happen at will, not only when encouraged by humor. When laughter travels from our core and travels through our bodies, through our cells, radiating outwards…we are body laughing! What a beautiful release of energy. What a tremendous embrace of happiness and joy. What a delight to share with others.

Laughter can create bridges where other communication fails us. There are no language barriers. It can unite strangers and friends alike. It connects. It bonds. It shares. It gives.

Laughter does a body good as well. It exercises our muscles, our mind, our lungs and our blood pumps wildly. It leaves us feeling more relaxed and less stressed. It gives us power to laugh at what frightens us or angers us. It reduces guilt or frustration. Laughter opens our hearts and allows things to flow, to brighten and lighten. It helps us shift our perspective to a more positive place.

The more we laugh and enjoy it, the stronger of a touchstone we create for ourselves. Sure laughter is easy when we are in a good place and a pleasant mood, but laughter can be just the right dose of “medicine” we need when we are a bit blue or in a negative mood. Even if it needs to be forced a little bit, our bodies will recognize the place of joy that laughter brings us and begin to create the responses we get so easily when happy. Laughter can nurture our souls and change our approach for the rest of the day.

The next time you are in a funk, feeling blue or moody or even having a frustrating day, try a bit of laughter. See how your body responds. Watch how the people around you resonate. Let your soul embrace the goodness that comes with a good body laugh.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Did I Mention Intention?

How often during the day do you reflect on what you are doing and why? For most, not too often. But if we want to live a more intention filled life this is the best way to discover what fuels your intentions. Imagine going through your day asking yourself what your motivation is for what you are doing. Is it to be of service, is it because it is expected of you, is it because you are hoping to get something out of it, or is it because it because you are being selfish? Any of these reasons and more are possible.

If you spend some time questioning yourself about why you do what you do you may actually discover something about yourself and your actions. Perhaps you may discover that many of your actions and activities lack a purpose. I know we all have a life that requires real activities that are really boring. For me it is laundry! Just can't get too excited about it no matter how hard I try. BUT that said…if I approach doing the laundry with the intention in my heart that I am taking care of my family's needs, or if I take the time to appreciate the beautiful clothing we are fortunate to own, or if I recall the family fun we had while wearing some of the clothing…my energy and intention shifts.

I was once told that I could make going out to get the mail a sacred act. It was said playfully and with kindness. But it also was a statement of truth. I have tried to not be on auto pilot all day long. I try to bring some consciousness to my daily activities as I know that my intention and motives that I carry around with me throughout the day are fundamental to the results I will receive.

Walking out the front too and strolling to the end of the driveway to get the mail…I could do it blindly and wrapped up in busy thoughts, or I could take the opportunity to take some deep cleansing breaths, listen to the birds, and gaze up into the sky and let the sun hit my face. You get the picture.

Obviously, I am not saying that you need to question every single action you make each day. But what if you checked in every once in a while. I was once told by a mentor of mine to set high intentions for myself and my life will bloom like a beautiful flower. Now that is a lovely day unfolding for sure!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Finding Forgiveness

For some of us we rarely get through a day without facing feelings of resentment or feeling some sort of guilt. You cannot be a human or be in a relationship without stumbling upon this. Without giving it much thought we face a situation where we feel misunderstood or taken advantage of and we allow the grip that this holds on us to be released. We have learned to forgive ourselves and others on a daily basis. The beauty of being able to forgive is that it requires absolutely nothing in return. There are no bargains to be made and no conditions to be met. It allows us to get rid of the weight of old baggage that is exhausting to carry around. It gives us an opportunity to find our authenticity. It affords us a life of lightness and focus on what we hope for instead of holding on to negative feelings and looking back on our days with eyes on how we were wronged.

Forgiveness is so much more than an apology. It is also more than being accepting and understanding of a situation. When we forgive we can be more loving and compassionate with ourselves and with others. It provides us with the wonderful opportunity to walk our path, connect with our higher power, learn life lessons and be gentler with ourselves and with others.

We do not need to continue to relive the wrong. We can stop looking back with guilt or with sorrow. We can become more positive about our lives, our hopes and dreams and our relationships. Forgiveness brings back hope.

This is not to say that if someone does wrong us that we need to be a victim or allow it to continue. Having strong boundaries around what you need and require to be respected and honored are important to living a full life and having healthy relationships. We need to stay true to our life's intentions and our truths.

But as we all know, forgiveness gives us freedom. We are able to release the poisons that can worry our minds, make our hearts heavy and shorten the beauty of our days. Accepting that we are less than perfect and the people in our lives are as well, give us that breathing room.

A favorite quote of mine about forgiveness is from Isabelle Holland, "As long as you don't forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy rent-free space in your mind." It is your choice. You hold the key to this and the more that you want a life of freedom, joy and love..the more you will see that existence will come from finding forgiveness. Blessings ~ Lisa

© Copyright 2012 Lisa Meade