The Secret to Consciously Creating Joy and Peace
As I laid in bed this morning, relaxed and immobile I heard a familiar “warning huff” from my puppy, Sweetie McGee, that meant “it’s time for my morning walk.” My plans were to take her for a walk, write, and then get ready for the rest of the day as a mother and art therapist. Today the daily routine felt stale. Although I noticed that the Arizona sun was still meek and mild, as it too was waking up slowly, I forgot to feel gratitude. After Sweetie stopped for what felt like the hundredth time in the five minutes we’d been out, I demanded, “Poodle! Let’s keep it moving, I have other things to do!”
And just like that- I remembered….While I had an entire day ahead of me, the present is the only moment where joy and peace can be found. If I rushed through the day ready to get to the next moment and the next, I would miss the joy in the present moment. In the past few weeks I have realized that during my walks with Sweetie, I feel a heightened sense of abundance. We say hi to the neighbors, watch the water move through the streams around our complex, and stop to check out seedpods and fallen flower blooms. It’s an enjoyable experience. I asked my self this morning, “Why would I waste an opportunity to experience fulfillment her and now?” So I took a deep breath and let myself experience the walk. As if by cue, the sky brightened up and everything became more clear. I saw the waning gibbous moon as soon as I looked up and over to the east I saw the pinks and oranges of sunrise as the sun made her way higher into the sky.
I became aware of my breath as I walked while the birds chirped, and the owl hooted, and the bold black and white cat that sat like a roof ornament on top of someone’s car looked back at me. Sweetie sniffed for stinky things for the rest of our walk and I looked for the beauty. I know that it is the beauty of the present moment that takes me out of the anxiety of running from one moment to the next. Outside in my little corner of Tempe, I got to bear witness to peace and stillness punctuated by joyful noises of a new morning. It’s almost ironic that being in that moment fully brought the inspiration for the next planned task- writing this blog post.
In the last two years I have made a concerted effort to bring more mindfulness into my life and in the last few months that has transferred to rituals and routines that support my joy and peace. I know what it feels like to be depressed and to become trapped in a panic attack. But one of my mentors explained to me that the key to keeping anxiety at bay is as simple as breathing. It’s the one thing I can control in any given moment. And according to don Miguel Ruiz, renowned spiritual teacher and best selling author, the breath is love. So as I move through my morning rituals of drinking tea, feeding the dog, watering the plants, and writing, I breath in the love and ground myself. When I step out of my house to tackle the day, I am able do so with purpose and poise because I have connected with the love, joy and peace of my breath. Whenever I loose that sense of calm and confidence, I can take a moment to return to my breath so that I may consciously fill myself up with abundance yet again.
If you are wanting to see more beauty in your day to day life, making art and writing can be the key. Consider joining the Joyfully Sustainable Motherhood membership program in which you will get weekly art and journal prompts and be added to private Facebook group focused on connecting with and loving your authentic self, creating rituals for joy and peace, living and parenting intuitively, nurturing your wholeness, experiencing supportive community, and embracing your creativity. Along with weekly art and journal prompts you'll get access to videos created for members only. Click here (and scroll to the bottom of the page) for more information and to sign up today!
