Today’s Bliss Blog entry was inspired by a piece written by Cynthia Greenfield of Asheville, North Carolina. It jumped out at me from the pages of her husband Blaine’s newsletter called Blaine’s World. Full of all kinds of newsy pieces collected from his world wide community of friends, as well as sundry and assorted jokes, reviews of movies and shows they have seen, it is a welcome addition to my mail box when it lands.
This is what Cynthia observed:
“My friend came home from work and found her 30-year-old son dead from a heart attack. And I thought not did she say I love you before he died. Nor if she performed actions that showed him that she loved him.
I thought: Did she feel him? Did she taste him . . . his essence? And be ever so grateful for the opportunity to birth this imperfect human being?
Did he swell her heart? Was she filled with overflowing gratitude for having the opportunity to have a child (something not all of us have the opportunity to do)?
Maybe even did she feel/experience all of it . . . even the dis-satisfactions, sadness and disappointments that are a part of it all? Just feel them. Get comfort for them.
I am looking for that . . .
The taste of life. The taste of ice-cream–the sweetness, the cold, the feeling in my mouth, different parts of my mouth, the feeling going down my throat. The thrill of it, the comfort of it, the experience of it, the nourishment of it.
All of it.
All of life.
Let us all feel, savor, taste our food. Our life. Let’s experience it all.
As we do, we will be at our perfect weight and more importantly, we will really enjoy the journey. It is an amazing journey, don’t you think?”
Reprinted with the gracious permission of Cynthia from a piece she wrote for participants in her “Thin Within” class
As I read this, I was amazed at the synchronicities of my own life. I am grateful that my own son is very much alive, even as he and I have butted heads at times and our world views are not always in synch. I do live full out, holding nothing back, savoring life itself. It is part of my mindfulness practice as I do my best to experience life in the moment.
Yesterday, I was sighing with contentment, as I was leaning back in a chair on the deck of my friends Barb and Glenn. We were celebrating the high school graduation of their oldest; Alex. He will be off to Ohio State in the Fall, studying engineering. Having enjoyed the yummy food selections, savoring each bite and not rushing through it, I found myself gazing skyward at the feather-cloud dabbled cerulean canvas hovering about swaying in the breeze trees that had their own song to sing. I sighed and realized how little time I take to be in that moment to moment consiousness. Busy-buzzy with life and the details that it takes to accomplish the tasks of each day. More mindful than ever, paradoxically, as I slow my pace to appreciate each precious moment and the people, animals, plant and mineral beings that enter my awareness, I get more done. As my mother used to say :”The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”
This morning as I was on the elliptical at the gym, I felt present instant awareness of the muscle movement, the sweat pouring down, the heart-beat-drum-beat, the blood flowing, the rapid paced breathing, the stretching of tendons, the glow of heat rushing through me, the sense of satisfaction that I have developed the discipline to ‘sweat my prayers’ 4-6 times a week.
Later today, I had an additional blessing of being invited to celebrate the opening of my friend Kayla Finlay’s center called Spirit River Retreat in Washington Crossing, PA. Kayla is a healer who differentiates between healing and curing and knows that the life force energy that flows through us can make a huge difference between living a mundane life and embracing the fullness of each day. She lives immersed in that savored moment to moment energy. So too, I sense, did the others who gathered in her living room, kitchen and yard. I enjoyed sprawling on the deck with 3 year old Faith and blowing bubbles and drawing chalk art images. I relished singing and dancing along with New York based jazz guitarist Adam Rafferty whose selections ranged from Michael Jackson to Stevie Wonder, from and Bonnie Raitt. Nothing like a living room concert. I gazed around the space in the presence of people I have known for 20 some years and others I encountered for the first time today and felt delight spill over as I sighed. Another instant to savor and snapshot for posterity.
My songbird friend Deva Troy graced us with her original pieces including one called Raging Hormones that those of us who are in peri or full blown menopause can understand first hand as we laughed in recognition. Her final song was one that encouraged us to take those leaps of faith that we are called to, despite fear and hesitation. She is in the process of creating her debut CD which those of us who know and love her have encouraged her to record for ever so long.
On the way home, I pointed out the exquisite sunset to my friend Ondreah and we appreciated the magnificent feather combed strands dipped in scarlet and white and varying shades of blue. I breathed in the fresh air that entered the open Jeep windows. A full, rich weekend well lived and savored for a long time to come, just like a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone slowly enjoyed with a bit dripping down my chin.
Here is one of Adam’s pieces; a cover of Michael Jackson’s Man In the Mirror http://youtu.be/1pRrZCWNIiE
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