It’s my birthday today. If you’ve been following for a while, you might remember that on my birthday I usually take myself on a mindful Artist Date.
Over the years this has taken different forms. Whether it’s taking myself to a museum, or traveling to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, or to photograph the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC, the agenda is the same: connect with my inner creativity and listen solely to my body’s guidance that day.
Before covid-19 hit, I had been scheduled to begin a week-long silent meditation retreat today in Massachusetts. Instead of feeling a loss today at the forced change of plans, I’m deeply grateful to be in the comfort of my home, already with a home-based business that allows me to serve in meaningful ways.
My canceled travel plans and stay-at-home orders also opened up opportunities to reconnect with my own back yard, reminding me of many of the lessons I wrote about in Blooming into Mindfulness.
So today, my Artist Date inspiration is to share a few images with you that I’ve taken over the past two weeks of post-travel quarantine and intensified social distancing.
Let me know what you think of my new images! I captioned them quickly here and realized that many of the words that came to mind were wishes I have for you:
May you stay grounded in the “truth” of the present moment, have the “resilience” needed to navigate these challenging times, maintain a sense of “wonder” and curiosity, feel “held” and “protected”, and meet each “morning” with curiosity about “hidden” lessons we can learn from this “suspended reality” and “waiting” period.
The more intention we bring to looking, the more “delicacies” we can find. Even in the midst of uncertainty and suffering for so many, our ever-present “Essence”, which connects us to all of humanity, will sustain us.
Apollo’s a bonus to send you an extra dose of happy energy!