being present…
Taking Time…
“Just be here with me. Signed: The moon. The stars. Your still-hot-cup-of-coffee. Your daughter. Your son. Your spouse. Your heart. Your green grass. The wild flowers. The water you long to swim in. The colour yellow. The colour blue. Your favourite poem. Your favourite blanket. The wind in your hair. The waves on the ocean. The mountain air. Your dad. Your mum. The rain. the ice-cream cone. The butter sizzling with garlic in the frying pan. The grocery clerk with sad, kind eyes. Postcards waiting to be sent. The city squirrel. The country squirrel. Jupiter. The photo album. Your grandmother’s rosary. Your favourite song. Ink and paper. Your best friend. The money in your wallet. The fork in your hand. Brushes and paint. Downward Facing Dog. the colour turquoise. The almost invisible shade of pink. God. The skyline. The earth beneath your feet. A hammock. The shade of a giant tree. This moment, right here, now. Your bones. Your belly laugh. Your breath. Your breath. Your breath”
Just be here with me. Signed the dandelions. The rocks. The hovering kestrel. The swirling wind. The shimmering grass. The fading gorse. The solitary bee buzzing. The steaming coffee. The fast moving clouds. The empty space. Fresh green. The distant sounds. The fleeting sunshine. The horizon. The blanket on the ground. Words yet to be written. Birdsong carried aloft. The moving shadows. The earth beneath. The near, the far. Those present. Those gone. Precious moments. - Yours truly…
I succeeded in my challenge to do 15 minutes of meditation for thirty days - bar one, but as my Dad passed away during this period, I am not giving myself a hard time about missing that day. Am I proficient - hell no! My mind still wanders and I am continually having to refocus BUT… there have been times during the past days that the teachings and practice of meditating have come into their own. Remembering to breath during the funeral, enabling me to read the eulogy, staying calm when beginning to feel overwhelmed and focusing on positives rather than negatives have all helped me to deal with recent events…
A Moment…
And the meditation helped me to focus on the ‘here and now’ during our recent short break to the High Peak District of Derbyshire. To take time to notice the big and the small, the whole and the detail…the colours, sounds, textures…the moments…
And these are the elements that I will be taking into my new work… the colours; greys, browns, rusts…flashes of almost lime green. The sweeping landscape, the scudding clouds - fast-moving skies…sound of birdsong floating on the wind…
“Fingers of light pierced the clouds caressing the moors
with life giving warmth, purples, browns and greens of
heathers mingled, blended in a union of beauty. Yellow
of gorse splashed in the sultry, hazy spectre of natures
superb canvas. The dry stone walling lay sporadic, lost,
decaying in time and memory, the hardy moorland sheep
stumbled from blade to blade, in the breeze they used the
walls as shade...
A place where all blends and the crofter
wears no watch only the sun and moon to follow.”
I have ordered my materials from Jacksons Art Supplies; now I just need to make a start…and that’s usually the hard part. But, with my new found focus, I am hoping that I will overcome that hurdle more easily…so watch this space as they say.
“The present moment is the substance with which the future is made. Therefore, the best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. What else can you do?”
Whatever you do this weekend, make sure that you take care of the present moment…
As ever,
Take care,
Carolyn
P.S. I hope I have scheduled the video to play at the correct time…fingers crossed!
P.P.S. For those of you who might be interested we stayed at Woodcock Farm Lets… well appointed and handily placed for exploring the region…
P.P.P.S. I have been meditating using my Deliciously Ella App - this does require a subscription - (there are varying levels) - but I find it handy; recipes, meditations, yoga etc all in the one place and I can keep track of how I am doing.
No affiliate links - just highlighting things I have found enjoyable or useful…