Two Great Loves

by Lynn Doerr, Guest Writer

I have a confession – I have two great loves in my life and I have no intention of picking one over the other.

One love pulls me with the challenge of forging a strong bond and finding the ability to communicate without words while offering the warmth of a strong shoulder when frost edges the meadows.  The other love shares treasures from afar, the spectacular sights and sounds of a Marrakesh market bursting with fiery reds and oranges, cobalt blues, and bright lemon yellow or the simple pleasure of an evening aperitif along a remote river, the sun setting over castles etching their silhouettes in the fading light. Both loves feed my spirit, the desire to be my curious self, pushing physical and mental limits and opening new possibilities for pleasure.

While I’ve missed the opportunity to enjoy living with a partner in love (c’est la vie!), I’ve been able to feed my other loves, riding and traveling, almost with abandon.  That little girl delight of seeing a horse still abounds in me even after spending half of my life riding.  I arrived late to the world of equestrians, a desire tucked in a corner of my consciousness, waiting to burst from the barn.  This love asks me to set ego aside (that human nuisance that feigns expertise in all matters) and free my mind to understand another being and glean context to build a partnership based on trust, not unlike other relationships we have in our lives.  I must listen, interpret intentions, forgive mistakes, offer support and encouragement when necessary, and remember that we each have strengths and only succeed as a team; don’t ask for more than too much but inspire the stretch beyond old boundaries.

And my other love, the one that carries me away, and forces me to examine preconceived ideas and see light’s revelations as it filters through an ancient window in a Myanmar temple, across a Romanian forest floor, or tumbles down the side of the Himalayas.  Travel asks us to open our minds to possibilities, alleviate judgement while we walk in another’s footprints, find compassion for another’s trials, and sample life in a novel way through all that we see, hear, feel, touch, or taste.

How could I ever choose between these two disparate loves – one that wants me home and another that pulls me across borders?  And don’t these “loves”, passions not focused on another person, mold us into people who become better friends and partners through a more expanded understanding of the world?  Don’t deny yourself food for your spirit; indulge your passion and let it grow. 

Lynn Doerr is an avid equestrian and traveler working as a marketing and communications consultant in areas concerned with global health.  Read about her travels on www.wanderlynn.com or join her to ride local equestrian trails at www.horsewayspa.org.

Ideas for Inviting Inspiration

by Elizabeth Venart

What prevents us from tuning into the muse of inspiration more? Are we perhaps lulled into complacency by our routines and the constant push to get things done and get from here to there and take care of this and that?  Are we too distracted by internal chatter – our shoulds and those we pick up from others – and the noise of social media and media in general? Inspiration can often strike in a moment, so it isn’t necessarily that we need more time but instead a certain quality of time. We may need to carve out space internally, to invite moments of reflection and the courage to ask the hard questions. Here are some ideas to invite inspiration:

1.     Pay attention to what intrigues you. What kinds of books, movies, biographies, television shows do you find most fascinating? Why? Is this perhaps a rope extended to you from the universe, beckoning you forward? A friend in her sixties recently signed up for a local improv class. She had never done anything like it but felt intrigued by the class when she saw an ad for it. She signed up before her reason or fear could talk her out of it, and now, four weeks in, she loves it!

2.     Pay attention to what excites you – especially your most outlandish dreams. If you won the Powerball tomorrow, what would be the first thing you would change about your life? The second? What new adventures or activities might you pursue? Where would you live? Where would you travel? What is stopping you from pursuing that dream now?  Look for signs to pull you forward into a new reality.  What steps can you take now?

3.     Cultivate a sense of whimsy and play. When was the last time you did something truly silly – for no reason at all? Think Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks, cartoon voices, and fun-loving practical jokes. Seriousness can be heavy, and inspiration requires a certain mental spaciousness that play and laughter can create.  Read More [Insert link to: https://resiliency.blogspot.com/2018/10/ideas-for-inviting-inspiration.html]

4.     Be a beginner again. It’s easy to stay comfortable in all we know, but our life may be inviting us to step outside our comfort zone and try something new. Have you always wanted to play guitar? Learn to tango? Speak Italian? Experiencing what it is to be a beginner again may open the gates for inspiration to enter.

5.     Dare to dive into mystery. Watch a foreign film without the subtitles.  Take a road trip to a town an hour away where you’ve never been, just to explore. Open a book at random to see what sentences leap off the page for you.

6.     Experiment with new ways to expand your social circle. Other people’s perspectives widen our own. Familiar faces often mean familiar conversations. New people can bring new ideas and new insights. Consider volunteering, joining a group of people with shared interests on Meetup.com, or joining a team at a local sport and social club.

7.     Create an “inspiration routine”.  Kristi Hedges in Harvard Business Review suggests people pick a new activity and then create a structure to build it into their weekly, monthly, or yearly routine. Make your inspiration-seeking activities a part of your non-negotiable schedule: yearly writing retreats, a new museum every quarter, a different professional event every month, reading graphic novels every Thursday morning. Whatever calls to you – create a devoted space for it in your life. William Faulkner has been credited with saying, “I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine.” Showing up and honoring our commitment to our inspiration routine opens the door for inspiration to enter.  

8.     Be curious. Elizabeth Gilbert believes that curiosity is the secret to creative living. She invites: “Do whatever brings you to life. . . Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.” Following our curiosity can surprise and delight us.  

Elizabeth Venart is the Founder of The Resiliency Center. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified EMDR Therapist, and EMDRIA-Approved Consultant who specializes in providing counseling and mentorship to other therapists and working to empower Highly Sensitive Persons to heal the wounds of the past so that they can embrace their gifts more fully and experience greater joy. Learn more at www.elizabethvenart.com.

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The Invitaton - by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Source: http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/

It doesn’t interest me

what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.