memory

Live in the present

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Turn toward life by living in the present.

Do you hang onto “how things used to be”? The “better” life that was, the simpler times, the happy days. Do you long for what you think of as your “glory years”?

My glory days were those sweet summer days that went on forever, when I stood tall, towering over the sweet earth, my green and silver leaves shimmering in the breeze, shading and sheltering all beings who ventured past, accepting tree hugs from walkers and hikers…

GCW in summer

But now, I exist in a new reality. Those days are past and I am learning to let go of the life that was and embrace what is. I will never forget, but I must move on with grace.

GCW stump with painted friend, the Lorax

Do you long for days past when your parents and grandparents sang in the twilight as the fireflies came out? You have these and thousands of good memories stored like a library of movie disks in your mind.

You can pull up the pictures, the memories and remember with fondness your grandparents home, the petunias in the window box, the pot belly stove in winter, the fragrance of lilacs, the soft fur of your tiny kitten… you can bring up any picture or feeling that brings you joy and happiness.

But when remembering turns to longing for a time that is no more and living in the past, it will keep you from creating beautiful moments in the here and now. It will distract you from your present moments that are to be lived fully, savored, and treasured.

Turn toward the true power of your life – your intention and action in the present moment. You thrive when living fully absorbed in this moment and the next and the next. These often mundane moments are your true life!

Embrace your reality, the truth of your present moment. And live fully!

Take a Memory Tour

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Dear ones, are you confined, quarantined right now? Only your body is required to be at home.

Use your senses to take a tour of your favorite places in your imagination. In this way, you can take a virtual visit to your family members, remember the loved places you knew as a child, to go back in time, or visit the future.

In your mind’s eye find yourself at the place of your choosing. See the details as you approach your Grandparents’ home once more, or that small lake cottage, the town you grew up in… your childhood friends in their homes… the life you want to live when the pandemic has died down…

Here we’ve chosen a tour of Betty’s Grandpa and Grandma’s farm to get you started.

Now I approach my Grandparents’ house from so long ago, letting the details emerge… The flower boxes, colorful and spicy scented petunias, the deeply colored coleus, asphalt siding meant to look like bricks, large trees shading lush uncut grass, wildflowers along the dusty gravel road, old red barn and outbuildings with white trim… the metal pump with the cold smooth handle…

Now I call up and feel once again the texture of the gravel lane under my feet, the worn paint and sharp snap of the screen door as it closes, the heat and glow and wood-burning smell of the pot belly stove, the beloved old dog with her doggy scent and thick fur greeting you with smiles, her wet doggy kisses… Grandma’s bottle green tightly woven upholstery in the living room,

The heavenly scent and taste of thick milk gravy on beef, the sweet-tart and delicious raspberry pie, steaming from the oven, the canned peaches floating in their cream colored bowls with lavender and blue pine cone decoration…Fire crackling in the stove, the voices of those loved ones now gone, Grandpa’s aftershave…

Coyotes yipping after dark beyond the hills, hens clucking, streams of milk hitting the bucket at milking time, the sweet smells of cow manure and fresh hay, the milk separator whirring, the cream can filling…

Cars crunching on gravel, dust flying up behind them, shared songs at dusk on the front porch, simple harmonica tunes, voices joining together in familiar tunes, wooden floors creaking at bedtime….

Taking a memory tour is another way for you to spend an hour or two during this stay at home time – You can call up those sensory details of seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, and smelling that help you remember the beautiful places the people and times of your life.

Find your own memories, take a turn around the places you loved, going slowly, letting the details emerge. Revisit your children, friends, or grandchildren if you can’t see them right now.

You can also tour your future and re-imagine what your life can be, what you want it to be when you are able to move freely once again.

A memory tour will help you remember the preciousness and beauty of life here on our beloved planet.

There is no going back

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A seed, once sprouted can’t ever return to curl up once again in its protective shell. Something magical has been set in motion that must play out!

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Tiny seedlings and concrete

Once born, a baby cannot reenter the womb. It’s life is now, unfolding as nature intended – growing, developing, maturing, with no looking back.

Once you have crossed the threshold of healing, once you have experienced the soul satisfaction of living at full power, once you have regained your own voice and witnessed your own light from the inside out, you, my dear, will never look back at your old life with longing.

You may have fond memories of the past, but you will know without a doubt that your path unfolds before you, as nature intends.

You are here to grow and develop into the best version of yourself. You are here to fulfill the promise set forth on that magical day of your birth!

Contentment

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Do you fear that you will lose your edge, become complaisant, or a lie-about if you allow yourself to be content? (Those of you who push, jockey, and fight for position in life will need to cover your ears and eyes for a moment.)

Contentment is peace and peace is your true nature. Contentment is a feeling that all is right with the world. “All is right within me. I want for nothing in this moment. I feel good in this moment. All is well in this moment.”

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Belted Kingfisher

Yet, in the next moment, you may find yourself remembering a want, a need, trying to solve a problem, or worrying about what is next for you.

Can you hold the memory of the feeling of contentment in your heart? Then you can bring it back to mind when you want to feel peace again.

You might remember the feeling of contentment you had while sitting on your porch watching golden patches of sunlight light up the trees in late evening.

You might remember the feeling of contentment while walking in the woods on a cool summer morning listening to birdsong.

You might remember the feeling of contentment you had when holding your new grandchild in your arms.

Savor these moments of your precious life and inhabit them fully, for they are your life. Remember the sights, smells, feelings and emotions of contentment and bring them to your awareness.  Pay attention, absorb the feelings into your heart and breathe in the peace you feel.

And now I ask on behalf of the trees and all living things: Can you be content with the earth and her living creatures, her rooted beings, her stones and bedrock without bulldozing the sacred trees, scraping away the precious soil, paving over the prairies, felling the forests, scarring the landscape with ugly buildings, making war on those you do not understand?

Dear ones, these acts  reflect discontent, a pulling away from your center.  They are not you at your best, not a reflection of your higher self.  Find gentler ways to live and interact with this earth and her people, and we will all thrive.

Those who find contentment and peace within will live in harmony with nature, with the earth, with others, and with all that is.