(not necessarily in that order)
I wonder how this little girl came by her wisdom.
Was it an innate knowing or did someone teach this to her?
Regardless, I find it both powerful and deeply moving, and worth adopting in my own personal bedtime routine.
“Goodnight myself. I love you. [pause] I love you too.”
A friend captured this moment at the beginning of Tuesday’s Inner Renewal Week class and I absolutely love it.
I’m so grateful for Ramesha, and for the blessing of sharing my spiritual path and music dharma with him.
Jyotish and Devi have been on fire in their classes this Inner Renewal Week.
They express so much wisdom, love, and joy in their every word and action, it’s a thrill to be in the room with them.
And most wondrous of all, is being able to call such great souls our friends.
I would never have guessed that receiving this much love, this much support, this much attention would be such a humbling experience.
But it is.
In fact, I’m beginning to think this is the first big lesson — test, even — of my health journey.
The fact is that I’m not all that comfortable with lots of attention. Of course, if I say that to someone, they’re surprised, because I’m obviously quite comfortable standing up in front of lots of people and performing.
But you see, when I’m performing, it’s not about me; it’s about the music and that makes all the difference.
So, I understand that a big part of my job right now is to focus on being open and receptive to the blessings that are pouring in from all sides.
I’m concentrating on breathing it all in and accepting that God really does love me this much.
I can hardly believe it, but today was the eighteenth Valentine’s Day I’ve shared with Ramesha.
For our first Valentine’s Day in 2004 we had dinner at a pizzeria in Ciriè, Italy (outside Torino), where my singing group was staying for a few days.
We had gotten engaged exactly one week earlier, on February 7. Ramesha was planning to ask me on Valentine’s but couldn’t wait. 😊
And here we are, almost twenty years later. What a blessing. 💗
On my walk this evening I was suddenly halted in my tracks by the smell of a sweet scent. I couldn’t identify where it was coming from, but it was unmistakable.
And I was just as suddenly transported to other moments, other locations, but the same experience…
There was the time I was waiting at the front entrance of the old SF Conservatory of Music building (at 19th Ave and Ortega) on a warm evening in late spring/early summer. There were a number of plants in bloom, all combining to make a subtle but overwhelmingly beautiful scent.
Then there was the smell of freesias blooming in front yards as my first husband, Randy, and I strolled the streets of Pacific Grove.
And the first time I truly understood the phrase “sweet grasses” was on pilgrimage at Newgrange, in County Meath, Ireland. It was summer and we had been blessed with beautiful weather during our time in Ireland. It was my first time visiting England, Wales, and Ireland, and I had never experienced meadow grasses like that. The smell was intoxicating.
And, finally, when I lived in San Francisco, there was a certain kind of boxwood hedge that bloomed in early spring, but with really insignificant flowers. I would be walking along and — just like today — be suddenly halted in my tracks as I tried to locate where the amazing scent was coming from.
If I close my eyes I can almost recapture it, even after all these years.
Up and down, in and out…
I’m learning to negotiate new fluctuations in my energy levels.
The lesson so far?
Don’t resist; rest as needed; and go with the flow.
Some time ago I happened upon The Nap Ministry on Facebook. I found it intriguing and decided to follow them.
I had no idea that I would soon find myself facing a big health challenge and deeply resonating with the message of “radical resting.”
But I do resonate with it, and I am beginning to recognize that allowing myself to rest is something I need to work at, something to practice.
Here are a few quotes from The Nap Ministry page that stood out to me…
The Nap Ministry is a meditation on naps as resistance. An artistic and spiritual examination on the liberating power of rest.
Pondering about our mantra: “Do less. Watch how you thrive.”
I do not rush or overbook my calendar. I view my calendar with intuition and I have never been lead astray by my intuition.
I rest everyday for at least 30 mins to an hour. I book my calendar so that it is possible. I may nap on the couch, stare out a window, rest my eyes while meditating and just breathe. I have done this consistently for almost 10 years. I always set a timer.
I hope you are crafting your own rest practices and slowly embracing this rest pilgrimage. It will not happen overnight. It is an ethos, a way of life and I am grateful you are here on this page. Our collective napping and radical resting will change the world.
I hope to adopt some of these statements as my own truth in the near future.
My plan was to share some thoughts and discoveries about resting.
But it’s been such a full day that I’ll let that wait for another day and simply go and…
Rest.
