I Take Breaks to Breathe, Rest My Mind and Eyes

Waking and sitting on the porch before I start my day, feeling the air, listening to birds, noticing how I am feeling, setting intention, perhaps drinking a lovely cup of coffee as I awaken to the day.

This continues throughout my day as I am on computer a lot, I take breaks to breathe, rest my mind and eyes, check in....even for just a small moment. Creativity cannot sustain itself well, I have found, without some space...

And of course caring for my dog brings a lot.....walking him a few times a day, I notice how it feels to be in a body that day....brushing him patiently brings me to the present.....giving things to him that makes him happy.

Food is also a great time to feel gratitude and commune with life energy, whether it be cooking, eating, growing food. And any exploration in/with for that matter can bring this opportunity for me.

Finally, most reliably in my day, I have found I need a certain amount of time alone, to do nothing at all. All kinds of things unwind in this space for me.

~ Anonymous


Woman on porch photo
Corn photo

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Beauty Reminds Me To Be Grateful

My current “ritual” is a beginning practice of gratitude. For the last several weeks I’ve just been using beauty to remind myself to be grateful. Sometimes it is the light out the window, or a quick view of a mountain, or some sprouts coming up in the garden… but I’m taking a moment (when I remember – which has been easier than I imagined) to NOTICE the beauty and to NOTICE a feeling of gratitude. I start with being grateful for being able to appreciate beauty – and then move to something else if I can find it. I take a moment to pause, to appreciate and then “life” resumes again. One thing I notice is that these “moments” seem to be getting more frequent. Maybe it is spring coming … or maybe it is that my noticing has changed.

Anonymous

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A 3 Second Ritual

A 3 sec. ritual...
I probably started this about 10 years ago, but the way time flies, swoops and bends it might have been more or less.
In my kitchen at home during the first sip of coffee or tea in the morning and often then the first sip sip of a cold beer in the PM I will “notice” what my eyes are resting on (or I will look at something intentionally) and bless/thank that object and all it’s touched.

Christian Swenson
Human Jazz

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Ritual as a General Way of Life

In the broadest sense, I see each day and each waking moment as a Ritual - an opportunity to ‘practice the presence’ (allowing spirit to bless each interaction - whether this be between humans or between trees, animals, rocks, angels or any other manifestation of the One Life).

For me, each day upon waking I attempt to remember who I am and where I am and what opportunity awaits me during the new day. I always begin with a cup of hot water and 30 minutes of meditation before heading out on an 8-mile neighborhood run (on weekends year-round I run the local Issaquah Alps or the Cascades in the summer months for 3-4 hours to commune with nature). I’m then ready to open emails and have client meetings or go volunteer my time. Whenever I can, I stop and give thanks during the day for the gifts of life and ask that I be shown where I can be of most service and where my next classroom for personal growth is happening.

Although ritual is a form that brings certain qualities and blessings into a focus, it is now more a general way of life. That’s all for now.


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