It's SO worth the effort!

     Today's quote is from Louise Hay: "Cluttered closets mean a cluttered mind. As you clean the closet, say to yourself, 'I am cleaning out the closets of my mind.'"
     I doubt that many of us wake up some morning and, with joyous delight, say, "Today I'm going to clean my closet!" Or some other area that has become cluttered with oh-so-important stuff. We generally don't realize the drag on our spirits that clutter (even "organized" clutter) creates, until it overwhelms us and inspires action. Then the clearing of clutter feels so good.
     I know someone who has made it his mission to get rid of one thing every day. Even as I look around the room I am sitting in, I could easily do that. I'm sure I could do it in every room in this house.
     Not only do we get "weighed down" by clutter, it serves as a blockade preventing other good from entering our lives. Getting rid of clutter keeps the circulation of good moving. You need only go to estate or garage sales to know that one person's castoff is another's treasure.
     Do you really need that _______? Set it free and feel the energy move within you.
     Off to release something,
            Leta

I love my life.

     I was on a group phone call recently with friends, and the statement "I love my life" was brought up as a topic of conversation. Specifically, the question was raised whether we could state that phrase and truly mean it.
     It was easy for me. I have been saying "I love my life" with great conviction for years. I use that phrase pretty much every morning in my prayers. Saying I love my life simply brings me more to love.
     What does it mean to me to love my life? It certainly doesn't mean everything is swimmingly perfect all the time. In general I am mostly joyful, but I do experience the full range of emotions, and I am grateful for that. I have wonderful people in my life who are loving and supportive. My life is abundant to the fullest extent of that term, not just speaking of money. I love baseball! I love the varied work I do, and I especially love the freedom and flexibility I have to travel. I get to teach and practice yoga and expand my spiritual nature. I enjoy being on Playground Earth at this time. I am comfortable in my own skin.
     But then there's house-cleaning, laundry, inattentive drivers, cancelled flights, flat tires, colds and viruses, poor customer service, broken appliances... myriad potential annoyances. They, too, are a part of the life I love, because I'm grateful that I have the strength, resiliency and resources to deal with them.
     Do you love your life?
              Leta

Unexpected Treasures

     I love it when Nature/God/The Universe (whatever you care to name the whole and holy life energy of which we are a part) gives me a treasure. Actually, the treasures are flowing my way continuously, so I guess I'm really talking about when I notice them and allow them to delight me.
     This morning I drove to Sedgwick County Park to walk, just for a change of scenery. I am strengthening my legs for longer distance walking due to upcoming travel, so I want to figure out some longer routes than my neighborhood streets offer.
     I was walking around one of the ponds at the park and came along two families of geese, one with two babies and the other with six. I'm not generally really fond of geese (droppings, a nasty encounter on the golf course), but the goslings are fluffy fur-balls and quite cute little treasures.
     There was also a stiff breeze from the south, which served to cool me off. Some may refer to that as our annoying "Kansas wind," but it was a treat for me this morning.
     Look about, pay attention, notice the treasures, allow yourself to be delighted. It makes life ever so much more fun!
                Leta

Create a Pot of Flowers

     It's May Day, spring, the perfect time to create a pot of flowers.
     Research studies are looking into the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, and the effects are not good. (I can give you additional info if you'd like.) So get up and move, do something, like buy a pot, potting soil and flowers and create a lovely flowering display for your porch or deck. Or, even better, deliver it to someone as a surprise.
     Planting my flower pots is one of my favorite springtime activities. I roamed quite a bit yesterday among several garden stores. I couldn't find my "usual" flowers, inspiring me to do some different combinations (see previous post on "Do One Thing Differently Today"). I also bought some glow-in-the-dark spray paint to try it on a pot or two and see how that works. Goofy fun.
     A pot of flowers is a joy all summer, plus you get up and move to water it. You may even find a new hobby, and who knows on what adventures that will lead you!?!
     Happy planting,
        Leta

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