Love is winning

​I sense a beauty in this world, underneath all the noise, the damage, the fear.
I sense a rich, deep earth nourishing and holding us, while our toxins try to hurt.
I sense a bold fearlessness within each of us, begging to take the lead and break us out of the holds on our hearts.
I sense love in the dark.
I sense light finding its way through the cracks.
I sense hope and freedom......

Our future is built on the gifts of each one of us. Not the unconscious gifts of forced "should be's" and false goals that do not truly align with us. The gifts that come from the very core of our being, that birthed us. Empowered gifts that hold no inner conflicts. A way of being that knows its path, its Truth.

What are you doing to connect with that gift, those gifts, on a regular basis? Is that not the purpose and habit trajectory of our lives? Every day we connect with these gifts and, when we think we got it, keep going. For 40 days, 90, 120, 1000.....and gain mastery. Mastery over our subconscious minds, mastery over the noise, mastery over our external environments prodding, pushing, forcing its way upon you...no. 

Pause. Create pause. Create spaces. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe slow, deep, long.....claim your space.​

In my yoga practice, I often breathe in "Sat" and breathe out "Nam" in silent vibration. It means, Truth is Who You Are. Truth is Your Name. With each mental chant of Sat Nam I connect more deeply, more solidly to my own personal Gifts. It is my Soul Knowing. I am not what others want me to be, or what others think I should be, or what others believe they know me to be. I am not those things that I agreed with others on. I am not even 

the roles that I've adopted....mom, friend, sister, spouse, auntie, teacher, coach, my age, my race, my look. I am none of those things and all of those things. I am, I am. The meditation "I am, I am" is a wonderful reminder that I am. Period. Just as the tree just is, the worm just is, the fruit IS. As part of a whole...no. As the whole in one part. It is my favorite Rumi quote: "You are not a drop in the ocean but the entire ocean in one drop". Identifying as something isn't the depth of who you are. It's a container. 

As "mom", this container gives me anchors for my life journey: live as an example, nourish my children with love, wisdom, strength, food, water, clothing, shelter, care when they are ill and when they are not, support for their ups and downs, etc. Lest we flit around in the wind like a kite whose lost its holder, its tie-down, an anchor provides a temporary positioning whereby I can live and grow with presence, in the present. Like a biodegradable pot for my starter plant--it holds her and offers a simple guidance. She begins to extend her roots down and reach up towards the sun as a beginner of something....what IS this world? And what is this present moment? She grounds and she reaches, expands, breathes. And as she grows, grateful for the path and

direction she's anchored to, she eventually feels the loosening of the container. She doesn't need it anymore as she's rooted deep. And yet, a new path must be forged so that she may evolve her consciousness more. In this present moment, she enjoys where she is as she secures her next, bigger pot for growth. A new adventure. A new knowing. A new learning and expanding. An evolution of experience. 

​The Evolution of Experience. This is what I call it. To keep in mind that we are each evolving on many strands of our experience. From an insightful book for understanding the development of teenage girls, 

"Untangled" ​ by Lisa D'Amour, PhD, I expand to define our experiences as adults. Some of us may not have even mastered some of those teenage strands. Regardless, we are each on a journey of evolving strands. I may be further evolved on one strand but less so on another. And someone who I think is somehow "better" may be more and less evolved on opposing strands. It matters not. There is no judgment or comparison. There is only our experience. And, with awareness, we begin to appreciate our evolution of experiences. 

Our American culture comes with a drive for competition. I'll focus on the one that calls for each of us to aim for our personal best. We compete against our own experiences to improve each time, to learn from our mistakes and failures, to lift ourselves back up with courage and compassion, to allow rest and reprieve as an active habit. There's a motivating force when seeking our personal best. I believe you can live in complete satisfaction and love with who you are and what you've achieved in this moment, today, this minute, WHILE ALSO seeking your personal best over time. There is no misalignment here to seek to evolve your experiences and become more elevated in consciousness through these evolutions, while also feeling "successful" in your present. When you seek to compete against others, your happiness is tied to an external presence outside your control. What is in your control is to develop and strengthen your habits, your physical and mental stamina, the edges of your own personal container-- where's the discomfort? how much will you push it today? Which strand are we evolving? Which needs attention today?

I sense there's an understanding, a shift, a loving pull to connect with our inner wisdoms.
I sense there's an openness to see it, feel it, embrace it.
I sense there's change happening and, for those of us who connect deeply within with curiosity and awareness, bold and beautiful things await. And Are. Here. Now.
I sense we are breathing more deeply, grounding with our nourishing roots and expanding from that place of connection.
I sense love is winning.
I trust.
I breathe.
I feel.
I am.