Do One Thing Differently Today

     We humans are such creatures of habit. This came home to me ever more powerfully, having just completed 13 weeks of tax work, wherein I set for myself a rigid schedule to keep it all together during 50-hour, 6-day work-weeks. I swam on certain days, and had other assorted tasks that I specifically scheduled so as not to fall behind.
     I realized that I was becoming more and more of an automaton based on the day of the week. So I started making an effort to do something differently each day, an exercise that encouraged me to pay more attention to my life. One tiny example is, when using a spray bottle, to use your non-dominant hand to squeeze the trigger. Another example is driving a different route. Go to a new place for lunch. Smile and say hello to a stranger. Stop and smell the iris. Make a new habit of doing something different each day. It's a fun way to pay attention to this awesome life we are given.
     LOVING the rain here in Wichita,
          Leta Renee

Doing Nothing

     Spanish proverb: How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.
     I am such a dedicated napper that I must have been of Hispanic ethnicity in a previous life. I love my siestas, and I consider napping a hobby.
     When I ran across this proverb, I thought, "That's me!" Yet as I ponder this saying further, I realize that I'm not so clear about doing nothing, just the rest afterward part.
     What is "doing nothing" anyway? Is it meditating? Is it reading? Is it laying around watching baseball (one of my favorite activities)? Is it sitting and watching the world go by? Is it watching paint dry or grass grow? Is it chatting with someone you love over a beer or a cup of coffee? Is napping "doing nothing"? How about leisurely blogging?
     I'm thinking as I write this that "doing nothing" is a very personal thing.
     Time to rest!
        Leta

Contentment

     My yoga classes have just finished a deep look at santosa, or contentment, one of the principles that the 8-limb system of yoga encourages us to live by.
     What does contentment mean to you? It's a worthwhile question to consider. As we piece together minutes, hours and days of contentment, we create a happy life. There's a key point in what I just wrote... contentment is a present-moment practice. We choose it, it doesn't drop on us from the sky, it's something we bring forth from within. Alas, it cannot be bought or acquired through others, though many try.
     How do I feel content?  By spending time at places I love and with people I love. Taking care of myself, for instance by massage, rest time, chiropractic, creating, exercising, traveling. Practicing yoga, of course. Noticing the beauty of our magnificent planet. Laughter. Faith. Tears. Fun.
     Contentment does not mean I'm always happy or in a good mood, but it's the calm undercurrent when I am experiencing some drama. It means I am satisfied that I am enough, I have enough, I do enough. It is comfortable being in my own skin, in my own life. It truly is a gift to practice contentment.
     Contentedly,
        Leta